The present invention relates to an adjustable lie hockey blade and a method for custom fitting a hockey blade to a hockey player. The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for custom fitting other sports to equipment such as a golf club to a golfer.
Commercial hockey sticks generally have a fixed straight shaft and a blade having a fixed lie, loft and curvature. The maximum length of the shaft 15 and curvature of the blade is regulated by any number of individual hockey league governing bodies. Adjusting the hockey stick to fit the individual player is limited to cutting the length of the shaft to a more appropriate length. To adjust the loft and lie angle of the blade, the player is forced to purchase a different hockey stick or blade altogether.
To overcome this disadvantage, commercial hockey sticks may be purchased as a two-piece constructionxe2x80x94a hockey blade with a hosel and a shaft separate from the blade and having an opening at one end for receiving the hosel of the blade. The blade hose) is provided with a heat-activated glue that is preferably heated by a hot air gun or a torch. Once the glue melts, the blade hosel is placed within the shaft opening. Upon the glue drying, the blade is permanently fixed to the shaft. To remove and replace the blade, the shaft and hosel area is reheated until the glue melts and the blade hosel may be slid from the shaft opening. Although this xe2x80x9cquick changexe2x80x9d blade replacement system saves the hockey player money, determining the proper lie of a hockey blade to a player is still a hit or miss proposition. There exists no method or apparatus for custom fitting a hockey blade for maximum blade contact with the ice and a hockey puck thereby increasing the accuracy of a hockey player""s shot and greatly improving the player""s puck handling ability.
There does exist, however, a multitude of devices and systems for custom fitting golf clubs to an individual golfer. Generally, these systems include devices that externally adapt to a prefabricated golf club to measure the existing lie and loft of the golf club head. Examples of such apparatuses are found at U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,858,332; 4,875,293; 5,105,550; 5,864,960; 5,884,409; 6,363,620; 6,430,829; 6,431,990; and 6,449,860.
Other devices for customizing the lie of the golf club head relative to the shaft are specifically directed to customizing a putter to an individual golfer. Examples of such apparatuses are found at U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,441,274 and 5,782,005.
Still other devices are available to adjust or modify the relationship of the golf club head to the shaft, however, these devices are independent of the golf club and involve an inordinate amount of measuring and bending to create the custom club desired. Examples of such apparatuses are found at
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,245,391; 4,245,392; 4,468,034; 4,549,357; 4,640,017; 4,788,774; 4,885,847; 5,105,550; 5,421,098; 5,864,960; 5,884,409; 5,974,645; 6,102,811; and 6,328,660.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for custom fitting the lie of a hockey blade to a particular hockey player. The present invention may also be applied to customizing other sports related equipment, such as a golf club to a golfer.
The hockey stick of the present invention is generally formed of a shaft and a blade. In a preferred embodiment, the shaft is hollow throughout and supports a handle plug at one end and a blade at the opposite end. The shaft handle includes a grip at one end and the blade includes a hosel at the opposite end. Similarly, the blade has a heel at one end and a toe at the opposite end.
In a preferred embodiment, an incrementally locking indicia assembly rotatably attaches the heel end of the blade to the hosel of the shaft. The indicia assembly includes a scale for indicating the angle of the blade to the shaft. To adjust and customize this angle, the blade may be incrementally rotated up or down relevant to the shaft and locked into location for a trial skate by a hockey player. The lie angle of the blade may be adjusted after each trial skate to achieve maximum blade contact with the ice thereby increasing puck control and shooting of the individual player.
A second preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a quick-change blade assembly and shaft for receiving the removable and replaceable blade. In this embodiment, the blade assembly has a hosel extending from the heel end of the blade for fitting within a hollowed shaft. An incrementally locking indicia assembly is located between the hosel and the heel of the blade and includes a scale for indicating the angle of the blade to the shaft. To adjust and customize this angle, the blade may be incrementally rotated up or down relevant to the hosel and shaft and locked into location for a trial skate by a hockey player. The lie angle of the blade may be adjusted after each trial skate to achieve maximum blade contact with the ice thereby increasing puck control and shooting of the individual player.
In another preferred embodiment, the method for customizing the lie angle of a blade to a shaft is used to create a custom golf club for a golfer. In this embodiment and method, the shaft of the invention relates to a golf club shaft and the blade of the invention forms the club head of the golf club. The golf club head and shaft may form one unit in which the head is rotatable relative to the club head via an incrementally locking indicia assembly. Alternatively, the club head may be a quick-change head that is received within a hollowed shaft and rotates about the indicia assembly to adjust the lie angle for custom fitting a golf club.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description in combination with the accompanying drawings, which depict systems and components that can be used alone or in combination with each other in accordance with the present invention.